Food on Friday

Friday, April 22, 2011

Today's topic is protein.

We had a checkup this morning, and baby sounds healthy and uterus is where it should be. We are so thankful for this baby!! According to the scale, I have lost 2 pounds in the last 4 weeks! What?! It was a different scale than the first two times, so I'm not sure how much that plays into it, but I am just glad I didn't gain a ton. My appetite has not really ramped up to where I have/want to eat constantly, and what I eat is pretty healthy (I'm not craving double cheeseburgers or anything), so I guess I shouldn't be that worried, but it is so odd that I have a little baby belly and didn't gain any weight. I have now met all three midwives, and I like two of them better than the one, but I feel like they are all very competent and supportive and encouraging, and I would feel in good care if any of them were with me when this little one arrives.

The one "thing of note" is that my blood pressure went from 124/72 (normalish for me) to 130/80. The girl who took it was really fast, and she didn't have me roll up my sleeve, so I'm not sure if there would be any error because of that...and they are not necessarily saying it's a problem, but that they will just keep an eye on it since it went up.

But they said to help keep blood pressure in check, eat lots of protein (70g per day while pregnant?!) and drink lots of water. I am already drinking 64oz per day (I fill up my nalgene bottle twice a day), and I honestly don't know how I could drink much more!!! But I will try. And as far as protein, I probably don't get 70 grams on a daily basis. I definitely get some, but probably more like 30-40 grams depending on what we have for dinner. So I definitely will try to keep better track of that and up my protein intake.

How do you make sure you have enough protein? Happy Friday!!

9 comments:

RMCarter said...

This is how I'm getting my protein: http://insideourkitchen.blogspot.com/2011/04/pregnancy-smoothie.html
The Greek yogurt is the secret ingredient. One smoothie has 24 grams of natural protein just from the yogurt. It is a tad tart, but the honey and banana help. I drink one most every morning.
(This is probably TMI, but it also keeps you very regular... :P)

Coco said...

I'm glad everything's going well! :) But that's A LOT of water. haha. Well, when I was having such bad morning sickness, I ate a lot of beef jerky because it was the only protein I could keep down, and it was fast and convenient. Not super healthy, but I still like to have some on hand for a quick protein pick up. AND I use quinoa almost every night at dinner for a little extra protein. I've even found that you can make a fairly tasty "rice" pudding with quinoa instead, then have it for breakfast. But for me the best protein (since I'm also anemic) is red meat... so I'll go and get a big london broil (or just large steak without much fat on it) and cut it into small servings and freeze seperately. Then I can just stick it on the George Forman any time of day or night. I don't even thaw it first. Slice it into a salad or whatever. Just add it in everywhere. Good luck!

Ashley said...

I am 25 weeks and have yet to gain a pound. I don't eat like I should and I struggle with water intake. Everybody is different. You sound like you're doing great!

AL said...

i didn't gain much in the first tri, but after getting mid-into second tri (i think 18 weeks or so?) I was CONSTANTLY hungry! I say just listen to your body, eat when you're hungry and eat good, healthy stuff (which I think you do!) when you're hungry.

On water, I constantly have my nalgene with me and probably have 4 full nalgenes a day. But, I have always been a huge water drinker and pregnancy has only made me thirstier.

You're doing great!

AL said...

oh, and last but not least - HOORAY for another great appointment!

Grow baby! :-D

Have a happy Easter!

Mrs. Chapman's 2nd Grade Class said...

That is a LOT of water! I need to dink more water, but I just can't seem to get it in. When I drink large amounts of water, I'm running to the bathroom all day. That doesn't work for me this year because my classroom is outside the main building in a portable. I'd be dragging my class with me every 30 minutes. ha! I do drink lots of water all evening though and a normal amount during the day. Glad everything is well in the baby dept!!

holly said...

I'm scared when I go to the doctor next I'll have gained a lot of weight. My appetite has definitely increased. To echo everyone else, that is a lot of water. For me, I try to eat a little bit of protein with everything, though I've been slacking with fruit. To do that I have some nuts or a slice of cheese and for my meals, of course, chicken and seafood. I do not eat red meat so I really do try to choose foods higher in protein. Greek yogurt is great because you get protein and calcium in one. High protein granola/snack bars are good too and if you like egg salad, that's a good lunch or even light snack with crackers. Finally, I leverage peanut butter a lot -- sandwiches, crackers, with celery.

Yay on a wonderful checkup.

Jessica said...

Hey- I have heard of a few ladies losing weight some weeks during pregnancy. They said their belly grew, but they lost some fat in their limbs/body.

Another way to get water in is through foods, such as brothy soups! You could make a vegetable/bean soup with chicken broth and canned tomatoes. Good luck!

Praying for Hope said...

I'm not sure that I ever managed to get enough protein, pregnant or not. It's tough when you're a vegetarian. Eggs and nuts and beans are good sources of protein. The nuts also make for a good, satisfying snack when you're hungry. They always take away the hunger for me.